I would say no.1. You would be better of saving money for customs;
Why waste more cash on another universal when you have a pair of customs if you save a little more?
The Sony iems are not cheap; 2. they cost around Singapore $680 approximately (offer price from Sony shop) elsewhere, I heard they cost close to $700 to nearly $1000 (Singapore dollars)3. And they offer little, if any, marked sound improvement over the other top tier universals you own, hence it would be more of a side grade in terms of sound.
However, this is just my view;4. If you really want to buy, go and demo out a pair before making a decision.
And buy them online, preferably 2nd hand to save $$$

1. True, but customs that rival the EX1000 probably cost around $1000... USD.

2. The prices you're quoting are too high, and Sonystyle in Singapore had 20% off recently so that would be $544 SGD.

3. I think they offer a very significant improvement in SQ over the IE8.

4. Yep, demoing is good, that's what I did, and then I decided the EX600 is pretty much the one for me, not everyone will prefer the EX1000, it depends on your taste in music, the EX1000 will surpass the EX600 at jazz, but it's reversed if your favorite music is complex/fast electronica. The EX600 is also excellent value, it SQ level is far higher than a $150 IEM, whereas the SQ level in the EX1000 is somewhere close to it's RRP I think. The EX1000 will also have a high resale value, which a JH13 will not.

1. True, but customs that rival the EX1000 probably cost around $1000... USD.

2. The prices you're quoting are too high, and Sonystyle in Singapore had 20% off recently so that would be $544 SGD.

3. I think they offer a very significant improvement in SQ over the IE8.

I think at $1000 you'd be well past EX1000 SQ when going custom. Trouble is finding a custom that has the strengths of the EX1000 - tone and timbre, openness, resolution, etc. My 1964-T rivals the EX1000 in overall SQ but they are meant for different purposes and therefore nearly impossible to compare. Frankly, each makes the other sound terrible. Same goes for comparing EX1000 to SM3.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Heret1c

Thanks joker!! Was looking forward to this for so long! Great impressions.

All good answers above. The EX1000 does sound different from all of these but whether you need yet another $300-400 dynamic-driver universal is a question only you can answer. Much as I like the GR07, I think the FX700 and EX1000 together would cover the spectrum for me. Except isolation, of course, as neither is very good at that.

I would lean towards the higher end of that range but these things are sort of difficult to try and quantify. I think the EX600 is at GR07 level in sound, though of course with the same usability quirks as the EX1000. Whether the jump from there to the EX1000 is worth it is up to you - diminishing returns are just a part of this hobby. The jump in quality you get by spending more once you get to that level can (subjectively) be sizable or insignificant. Unfortunately there is also the reverse effect of price on quality perception, as evidenced by the TF10.

Thanks for your take. I was also thinking that EX1000 and FX700 would be the two keepers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kingice10

Also it's better to have the EX1000 than having custom iems because of the value. You can sell them off with a couple of dollars off if you don't want the signature..But for EX1000, this iem is easily be liked by many.

Valued point you make.

Quote:

Originally Posted by kiteki

1. True, but customs that rival the EX1000 probably cost around $1000... USD.

2. The prices you're quoting are too high, and Sonystyle in Singapore had 20% off recently so that would be $544 SGD.

3. I think they offer a very significant improvement in SQ over the IE8.

4. Yep, demoing is good, that's what I did, and then I decided the EX600 is pretty much the one for me, not everyone will prefer the EX1000, it depends on your taste in music, the EX1000 will surpass the EX600 at jazz, but it's reversed if your favorite music is complex/fast electronica. The EX600 is also excellent value, it SQ level is far higher than a $150 IEM, whereas the SQ level in the EX1000 is somewhere close to it's RRP I think. The EX1000 will also have a high resale value, which a JH13 will not.

I actually didn't consider the EX600 but being a huge fan of electronica, I might have to have a listen of these. When the EX1000 comes down in price to $350 or less, I might take the bite. If the EX1000 really has a better SQ over the IE8, then I think it's worth it for me.

I think at $1000 you'd be well past EX1000 SQ when going custom. Trouble is finding a custom that has the strengths of the EX1000 - tone and timbre, openness, resolution, etc. My 1964-T rivals the EX1000 in overall SQ but they are meant for different purposes and therefore nearly impossible to compare. Frankly, each makes the other sound terrible. Same goes for comparing EX1000 to SM3.

I'll have to strongly disagree with you there (bolded text). I know you and average_joe share the same view regarding the whole customs vs universals 'debate'. In the thread I started over 2 years ago (linked in my sig), which was sadly locked recently, there were several reports by people who owned very expensive customs who found the gap between expensive customs and expensive universals not as big as you suggest.

I personally own the truly excellent $850 custom Westone ES3X, and not only is my EX1000 the first universal to match my ES3X sonically, but in some instances surpass it; after nearly 3 months with my EX1000s I might as well choose the EX1000s over the ES3Xs if I could only keep one. There's also an excellent Headphonia review where the JH16 - one of the most expensive customs out there and quite possibly HF's favourite and most highly regarded - is compared to the EX1000 and the Sonys compare very favourably.

Also, it seems more drivers doesn't always translate into better SQ as evidenced by some people who prefer the triple-BA-driver UERM or the 5-BA-driver ES5 over the 6-BA-driver JH13 or 8-BA-driver JH16, or (in two cases that I know of) the triple-BA-driver ES3X over the ES5. There's one or two people who prefer the dual-BA-driver JH5 over the JH13.

Like I said in an earlier post, things often become rather subjective, and in my particular case I found, for instance, both CK10 & SM3, two IEMs you yourself regard quite highly, quite poor sounding. As for the SM3 vs EX1000, most of those who have heard both, they seem to favour the Sonys. Even the much cheaper GR07 & EX600 are favoured by a few of those who have also heard the SM3 and not by a small margin.

My next buy needs to isolate very well. I take a bus once in a while and then isolation is not good enough from either IEM I currently own.

Some remarks. The RE0 leans the most towards what I like to hear.

For me, the RE262 is amazing for duets and has very good soundstage.

Bass is excellent with the IE8. But I am missing some treble sparkle. The RE-ZERO and RE262 come close.

I am also considering customs (tips or monitors).My budget is around 500 EURO. I don't mind using a portable amp.

The Etymotics (HF5, ER4) are perhaps a good next try but since I heard IE8's bass and RE262's voices I want a lot.

Another problem is my location, for customs the only dealer around is Variphone (Westone Belgium) and those are quite expensive.

There is still the option of sending impressions to any manufacturer but I prefer to pick one in Europe.

Thanks!

I think you may like the RE272 if you find the isolation of the RE262 sufficient for your commute. It is brighter/sparklier and has pretty good bass extension while preserving the soundstage and (for the most part) the midrange sweetness. Not a night and day difference but maybe a better signature match for you. Personally I'd take the EX1000 over it but that's not suitable for sleeping or commuting. I am not familiar with customs in that price range that sound like what you're after and have heard none at all from European manufacturers.

Quote:

Originally Posted by music_4321

I personally own the truly excellent $850 custom Westone ES3X, and not only is my EX1000 the first universal to match my ES3X sonically, but in some instances surpass it; after nearly 3 months with my EX1000s I might as well choose the EX1000s over the ES3Xs if I could only keep one. There's also an excellent Headphonia review where the JH16 - one of the most expensive customs out there and quite possibly HF's favourite and most highly regarded - is compared to the EX1000 and the Sonys compare very favourably.

Also, it seems more drivers doesn't always translate into better SQ as evidenced by some people who prefer the triple-BA-driver UERM or the 5-BA-driver ES5 over the 6-BA-driver JH13 or 8-BA-driver JH16, or (in two cases that I know of) the triple-BA-driver ES3X over the ES5. There's one or two people who prefer the dual-BA-driver JH5 over the JH13.

As always, I can only relate my own experience - the disclaimer is right there in the first post. One ~$900 custom is not enough data points to make a generalization and I honestly don't see why the ES3X would sound significantly better than the UM3X in the first place - as TF10 owners are finding out, sticking the internals of a well-tuned universal (which the UM3X certainly is) into a custom shell probably is fairly limiting on the performance increase you can get, unless Westone seriously handicapped the UM3X. I also don't see how the driver argument is relevant - I've said countless times that more drivers does not equate to better sound in and of itself, and we see plenty of examples of that in the universal realm. It's what's done with those drivers that matters. What I do know is that Miracle makes the EX1000 - and any other universal I've heard so far - sound underwhelming - and that's not a statement I make lightly considering how much I like the EX1000.

Either way, unless you can point me to someone who has heard the UM Miracle and EX1000 and preferred the latter, I really don't see how other users preferring other customs to various universals is relevant. Even then I trust my own ears above anyone else's at this point, which is one of the reasons I do not read reviews or participate in discussion/appreciation threads. This would be especially true of someone whose views continually diverge from my own, as mine apparently do from yours.

Since I'm not that heavily into customs YET I'll simply refrain from commenting, but that is all going to change very soon. =)

I know you only compare what you've heard, but if you received the UE Capitol, the JH16, the Westone ES5, or various other flagship customs, don't you think they'd be in the Nr#1 spot of your IEM reviewing now?